On the Poppy Corner in North sits Semai, a restaurant and lounge that runs on Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine. The name is not a random choice: ‘Semai’ means ‘heaven’ in Tigrinya, the language of Eritrea. That immediately indicates where the inspiration comes from. The founder, himself of Eritrean descent, puts out dishes here that are unfamiliar to most Amsterdamers but deeply rooted in the food culture of the Horn of Africa.
The food at Semai is all about sharing. Small dishes come to the table, and the idea is that you pass them around, taste them, combine them. That's not a marketing ploy but that's the way it is in Eritrean and Ethiopian food culture. Plates are placed in the middle, everyone grabs what they want. The two flagships of the menu are the Kilwa and the Zigni. Kilwa is roasted lamb or beef, hearty and aromatic. Zigni is the national dish of Eritrea: stewed beef with spiced butter and pepper, cooked slowly until the meat falls apart. If you want to learn about Eritrean cuisine, start here.
The building on the Poppy Corner combines restaurant and lounge. The atmosphere is lively; there's something of an evening that won't soon end. That's also true of the opening hours: Semai is open seven days a week until three in the morning. North thus has a place where you can still eat decently after midnight, something that is also scarce in the rest of the city. The space invites you to stay, add a drink and make the evening long.
Zigni is the national dish of Eritrea: stewed beef with seasoned butter and pepper, cooked slowly until the meat falls apart.
The Poppy Corner is not a busy shopping street but North has gained more places worth biking or taking the subway for in recent years. Semai fits that bill. Not because it is hip or fits a trend, but because it serves something that is lacking elsewhere. The cuisine of Eritrea and Ethiopia deserves more space in the city, and in North that cuisine has now found a home.